


Let Me See Her

by ReubenLack



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gift Fic, Threats of Violence, tgsecretvalentine16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-18 06:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5901475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReubenLack/pseuds/ReubenLack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of a failed rescue attempt, Ayato sits one set of walls away from the person he loves. Spoilers for TG:re up through the Tsukiyama Operation arc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me See Her

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the TGSecretValentine16 Exchange! For tumblr user aklras! Not as long as I wanted, but I think I captured what you asked for.
> 
> I hope you like it! You said Ayato/Hina and something angsty… did my best to deliver, eheh...

The room’s kept dark, of course. It’s not like them to allow a prisoner to see much light, especially in the midst of interrogation.

Ayato had tried and failed. It was a disgusting mark against his strength and the regret felt like it could sink into his bone. He and others, largely unaided by Aogiri, had launched a raid on the prison with the aim of freeing her. Information on guard shifts was incredibly difficult to get your hands on and yet Ayato had found a way. A few investigators this night, then one the next. He’d catch them on the streets they thought were safe; the secrets in their heads could not hold out forever.

The ache was the worst. The feeling of regret so sickening you could vomit. He had been yards away from her—Ayato remembers seeing the back of her head before he was tugged away. He took it personally. Why wouldn’t he? This was the person he cared for more than anything. She’s the light that passes over the horizon at daybreak, the soft, gentle happiness that is fragile and _powerful_ at the same time. Losing her was… no, he couldn’t contemplate the horror of that. He had argued the cause for strategic reasons, but everyone knew it was this inner turmoil that drove him forward.

His own power had improved in the past few years. Her comfort and support gave him space to grow, as a fighter and as a man. The small annoyances didn’t set him off like they used to; his anger was reserved for combat and even then it was far more calculated and restrained. Gentle fingers curling around his own… only one person was allowed to see his cheeks the color of roses.

“Good morning, Kirishima.”

The voice shakes him from his vision. All at once, the soreness and pain in his limbs flows back. His body screams to get up, to break out. What his body doesn’t understand at least his mind does. Fucking suppressants. They didn’t even need to chain him… Ayato was too weak in this state to pose much of a threat, even to a child. Still, he looks up, eyes full of spite and anger, even if his body is like a limp puppet.

“Let me see her.” The words are rough, deeper than even he expected. They’re real though, every last syllable. His eyes focus on the familiar figure, the investigator who seemed to have a knack for wrecking his life.

“You know I can’t do that,” he says, adjusting the red glove that covers his hand. The investigator’s hair is black again. Funny. He looks just like father now.

“If you’re here to ask—”

“How many bones do you have left, Ayato?” His voice cuts through the ghoul’s like a blade. It’s cold, uncaring. Kaneki takes a step forward, glasses fixed as he gets close to the glass barrier.

The young ghoul remains quiet, though his eyes can’t look away from the investigator. They both know how close he is to his goal. Whether it’s ironic or just cruel fate, Ayato’s not sure. Hinami is kept in the room adjacent to his own. No glass, only hard, unbreakable _wall_. Every now and then, he thinks he can hear her voice talking through the room’s microphone. It has the same pitch and gentleness, but it could very well be his memories playing tricks on him. After all, they barely keep him fed in here. It’s only just enough to keep him sane and conscious. Even then, there’s not much he could do with the poison they stick in his back.

“Black Rabbit,” Kaneki muses, playing with the name as if it were a toy. “It’d mean nothing to snap your neck, you know…” He grins like a child. “I wonder if she’d hear it.” This was far from the first time Kaneki had threatened him or invoked Hinami to frighten him. He expected it. Ayato had long since decided he would not be coerced. If the investigator though he could scare him into submission, he had better pack up and leave. He had known this mission could result in sacrificing his own life; the last thing he wanted was to drag others into this mess. Information would only spill out of his dead body.

And yet… the feeling of leaving this world, of leaving _Hinami_ was enough to make him drop his head, eyes to the ground. It was infuriating how his power wasn’t enough to get what he wanted. For years and years he had built himself up, strengthening everything there was. He’d fought investigators before, hell, he’s killed far more than most. But Kaneki... this bastard half-breed was able to strike him down with the slightest concentration. At least when he had won before, Kaneki had the empathy to take some damage himself. This time? Ayato couldn’t leave even a scratch on that creepy face of his.

“I thought you were friends,” the ghoul whispers. His hands are curled up on his knees, the weight of everything keeping his gaze downward. “She told me you taught her how to—”

“You’re deluding yourself again, Ayato.” Kaneki’s words stop him just as quickly as before. He takes a step forward, leaning down with so much grace it’s disgusting. “All I’m concerned about is you. I have postponed her disposal for a few weeks now. Yours? Ah, I don’t think I’d be so lucky.”

“Kaneki.” The words are twisted with rage. Hate wasn’t strong enough for the feeling he possessed right now. Even with all they did to his body, these were the moments Ayato felt he could just burst through the wall and see the one he loved.

“Yes?” Ayato didn’t look up—he couldn’t. But, he knew that face was the same. He could hear the smile in his voice, the sense of rotten _victory_ that was practically drooling from his lips. There was nowhere for the ghoul to go. Defeat after defeat and now the feeling of utter despair. It’s not something Ayato ever believed he could feel again.

“Kill me. She should live.”

“I already planned on killing you, Ayato, aha.” He makes himself laugh, the sound reverberating through the small room. His red-hand reaches forward and grabs a fistful of the ghoul’s hair, yanking his head up so he can look him in the eyes. The handsome features of Ayato’s face are now worn. Battles with Kaneki are hard to shake off. To his credit, the ghoul doesn’t resist. He does, however, spit in Kaneki’s face.

“You’re more idiotic than I thought.” He twists hard on the dark strands of Ayato’s hair, forcing a pained wince out of the teen’s lips. “I do not have time for games. There is only one thing I have asked for you and you have yet to provide it.”

“Go to hell.”

“Not even creative, Kirishima. Pity.” He lets go and stands, allowing the ghoul to groan from the sting on his scalp. Kaneki has earned Ayato’s gaze again, which is all he really wanted from the act of violence in the first place. “I thought you’d at least have the intelligence to know how this ends. There’s no way you’re getting out of here. Not alive, at least.” Kaneki straightens his tie and walks to the door before leaning his body against it. “I’m the gatekeeper, Ayato Kirishima, and you have failed to give me the password.”

Was there really nothing he could do? When Kaneki had first come here, he had tried to fight him again. Snapping jaws, jagged nails, anything he could to show he would not crack under the pressure. He wasn’t the violent person from his younger days, but that fire could still grow inside him. All the investigators had to do was increase the amount of suppressant in his system and he’d have the same low strength as a human. If that much.

Hinami was the voice that still called to him. _Names, locations, that’s all I want_. He knew he couldn’t be trusted; Kaneki held all the cards here. Would he even consider releasing her if he gave him his information? Ayato was exhausted—soreness creeped up into ever muscle of his body. For days, he’d tried to pretend he wasn’t close to snapping. His façade was usually so strong… not so against this particular investigator.

“I’m waiting.”

“Wait longer,” Ayato says.

“Then I will leave. Goodbye, Ayato.”

He sees Kaneki put his hand on the door, ready to open and keep the ghoul here for God knows how many more days. _Cooperation is the only out_. Hinami was too kind a person to endure the torture of this place. Even if the mere _chance_ of a compromise was possible, Ayato had to take it. He felt rotten to his core, hatred boiling at having to descend to the level of humans. They are the monsters on this Earth; Ayato needed no persuasion of that point now.

“I’ll talk,” he calls out, voice hoarse at the higher volume. It’s enough to make Kaneki stop in his motion and turn around. He can’t hide the grin that stretches the skin of his cheeks.

For the next hour, Ayato tells Kaneki everything he can know. So many details he betrays, but it’s all for a good cause. Ayato occasionally asks if their deal is still valid in-between Kaneki verifying the information with the CCG records. Of course, he nods. Of course. When all is said and done, Kaneki stands back up and resumes his path to the door. Ayato rises too, aided by a hand on the wall to help lift his shaky body. Kaneki doesn’t even look back at him when he speaks.

“Let me see her.”

Quiet silence.

“I lied, you know.” The door unlocks and Kaneki steps through. “She hasn’t been here for weeks.”


End file.
